In the days leading up to the race I was nervous but felt prepared from a training and nutrition perspective. I’d anticipated blazing heat in the Nevada desert and did plenty of heat training.

The logistics of this race were a bit daunting since there were many unknowns–1st travel race and 1st point to point meaning two separate transition areas. Going forward, I’ll know what to expect and Ironman managed events are SO well run that there are plenty of folks to ask and all of them were pretty darn helpful!

I shipped my Felt bike “ACE” via TriBike Transport, which worked like a charm. And, I’m SO glad I rented a car versus relying on taxis. Also, I got a Garmin GPS from the rental car company which really helped a ton…yes, I know I can use Google Maps on my phone but having the Garmin on my dashboard made things a ton smoother. Setting up T1 and T2 on the day prior to the race was interesting and was completed without issue.

Setting up T1

Learning #1…make sure IF (as I may not ever do this again) I ride with someone to the race start ensure that they are on the same page from a arrival to race venue perspective! I hitched a ride to the race with some other athletes friends-of-friends, they were to pick me up at 4:30 a.m (transition opened at 4:00 and it was planning to close at 6:00, I was in the 1st non-pro swim wave and we were about a 25 minute drive away). They showed up at 4:45, we got lost (they didn’t have a Garmin, which cost us 10 minutes) plus when we got close to the race venue traffic was seriously bumper to bumper for hundreds of cars. It was 5:20 a.m, then 5:30, 5:35…I needed to load up my bike nutrition and I was starting to FREAK! The folks I was driving with were much more seasoned triathletes and were also in later swim waves. Somehow I had previously gotten the phone number of Ironman 70.3 Worlds “command central” of the race (true). Anyway, I called them and said “Do you realize that there are hundreds of cars waiting to find parking and are you still closing T1 at 6:00?!” To which they answered “Yes, Mamam, our plan is to still close transition as planned at 6:00”. OH CRAP!!!Now I was really starting to FREAK OUT!

Oh yeah and it was raining, not just a sprinkle but like we needed to build an ARK! So, I said “Stop the Car!” and I joined the many other athletes that were running toward transition which was about 1.5 miles away…hey that’s one way to get my pre-race run warm-up in!

Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Henderson, NV swim course

I made it to T1 and loaded up my bike with gels etc.. Guess what?! Electrical tape doesn’t stick too well in the rain. But, I made it work. My bike was in an awesome spot close to bike out so I only had to run with my bike a relatively short distance although much of it was up a hill. After getting my bike prepared I headed down to the swim start which was already lining up. And, by the way, they did NOT close T1 at 6:00 it was likely 6:15 or so, but still I was somewhat pressed for time. I lined up, the pros were off and going, my age group got in the water and we swam to the start line treading water (first time I’ve done that type of swim start) and we were OFF! Once the race started I felt better.

Except it continued to RAIN! And as I ran through swim exit toward my bike, which was about a ½ mile…I started to worry. Until then, I hadn’t EVER ridden my TRI bike or actually my road bike in the rain. On bad weather days I just opt for a spin class instead. And it wasn’t just a drizzle it was really RAINING! Water was pouring off the brim of my helmet, thankfully I have TRI bike shoes so the water was running out the bottom, I wear socks when I ride which were soaked, but somehow my prescription sunglasses (photosensitive) didn’t get completely water spotted. Still, I was nervous and with my recent loss of biking buddy plus the fact that my son so kindly shared his nightmare dream of me dying in this race…I was more than a little cautious.

The bike course was tough and I did see a pretty major wipe-out of three bikes colliding and all riders down and out. The rain stopped at around mile 40, which made a huge difference when looking at my bike splits…once the rain was over my average mph jumped from around 16 to almost 22 since I was comfortable putting the pedal to the metal…and that wasn’t a super easy part of the bike course either. Still it helped improve a marginally effective, BUT safe, ride.

Transition bags and changing tents were a new concept for me also. It wasn’t bad and once again, now I know the drill for future reference. The run was a 3 looper with about 2 miles up and 2 miles down. I did run thru a few aid stations but also walked on some hills. Still my pace overall was similar to Boulder although the course in Henderson was much more difficult and toward the end of the run it was starting to heat up with blue skies.

Nutrition once again worked really well. For fear of dehydrating, I seriously drank ALL the time. All water bottles on the bike plus one from an aid station, every run aid station I refilled my handheld water bottle plus drank coke (love that nasty stuff) after mile 8, a full water bottle at finish, 3 mini chocolate milks and two pints of Stella mid afternoon after the race. You’d think I’d be spending a ton of time in the porta potty (or other) but nope…after all that I must have still been dehydrated. But I felt fine.

Overall an awesome experience! My sister in-law Melissa traveled to Vegas to support me which was FANTASTIC! Mel and her extended family were there at the race cheering me on and I saw a few other Colorado tri friends there too. Having folks who actually know you call out your name during the race is an amazing lift!

With a 6:35:47 finish time, I wish I would have had a faster race but it all came down to a slower ride and if I had “do overs” I wouldn’t change a thing. I qualified for and finished the Ironman 70.3 World Championship race and I have one of the worlds BIGGEST finisher medals to prove it!

Ironman Boulder 70.3 was THE race of my 2013 season. The event I had train for, dreaded, dreamed about and stressed over.

As I focused on my half Ironman training and preparation I thought back on what I had learned, both good and bad, from my other races. The infamous Harvest Moon of 2012 loomed large, at this race which is a half Ironman distance but not an Ironman branded race, I had seriously misjudged my nutritional needs. Effectively, bonked and ended up walking much of the 13.1 mile run, missing my goal time by over an hour. After THAT race I was demoralized and demotivated…in fact for a short period of time (OK, it was really only about 24 hours) I swore off long distances races. Well, as anyone that is a triathlete knows this sport is HIGHLY addictive!

To ensure that I didn’t have a nutritional breakdown I practiced my hydration and nutrition on long brick training sessions and during The Peak race. I was hyper committed to my training calendar. I made each workout count and trained like I was heading to the World Championships. I had even begun to jokingly tell my hubby “IF I qualify for World’s, I’m heading to Vegas…ha ha!”. I also added more open water swimming to my repertoire including two Aquaman races—1 mile swim and 5K. Now those, for anyone not familiar, are NASTY as in pretty darn brutal. Until I did my first Aquaman I didn’t fully appreciate how much recovery you get after the swim when you’re on the bike during a triathlon! PHEW, going from a swim race to a running race meant you had your heart race at close to max for the whole time…much harder in my opinion than a Sprint distance triathlon. Thankfully I also had some great friends to train with and training with friends always makes it much more fun and you seem to push yourself harder!

Bike training with Craig, Anna and Bart

As race day approached, I felt surprisingly calm. I didn’t have pre-race stress, I wasn’t super bitchy…it was because I felt prepared. I was ready to RACE!

To make Boulder 70.3 even more special we had extended family (Nessie and Kate) in town on vacation from England. Having these super fun gals there along with my #1 fan Mr. Keith was fantastic, #2 fan was at his first sleep away camp so no one was cheering Go! Triathlon Momma Go!, but there was plenty of GO Ali, GO to be heard!

Transition area before Boulder 70.3 with Marla

Race day arrived bright and sunny without issue and my unusual Zen state continued all the way thru race prep. When I lined up in the self-seed swim corral I stood next to my triathlete buddy and fellow Masters swimmer Craig. We wished each other a great race and before we knew it we were plowing thru the water on the 1.2 mile loop. Soon I was racing thru T1 and out onto the ride on my bike “ACE” (doesn’t everyone name their bike?); who is seriously a streamlined speed machine! I really tried to stay in the moment and appreciate just being there. I thanked God for being able to do what I love. I was racing in Ironman Boulder 70.3! WOW!

Bike course Boulder 70.3

Soon it was T2 and onto the run. The half marathon was two loops around Boulder Reservoir, which is notorious for having ZERO shade! The run was hot but I continued forward and used a strategy of walking thru the aid stations. I ultimately ended up walking a bit more than just the aid stations but mostly ran. I also found a strange love of Coke (and I NEVER typically drink soda), cold, flat, Coca Cola is a magical thing, something like instant jet fuel!

As I neared the completion of my race, I was certainly happy to see the finish line, but not exhausted in a devastating way…I had paced myself much better than in earlier races AND my nutrition was spot on!

Run course Boulder 70.3

I waited with my family and friends to see my finish time. A race time of 5:51:24 was better than I had hoped and placed me 9th in my age group. I hung around for awards and soon I came to realize that I really DID have a chance to qualify for Ironman 70.3 World Championships. A slim chance but still worth waiting for as it would all come to “roll down”. Roll down means that if the 2 spots that were allocated to my age group were not taken by those that placed ahead of me, or those women had already qualified in another 70.3 race…the 2 slots would progressively “roll down” to the next qualifier. Good grief, was this really going to happen? Was I really going to legitimately qualify for the half Ironman World Championships?!!

WHAT?! I am going to Vegas?!

And…the answer is YES! I did, the same girl that only two years prior who had not even run a 5K, that same girl was heading to Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Henderson, NV in early September.

I had a little pit in my stomach, was that panic or excitement?!? I think maybe a little bit of both!

Boulder Peak triathlon, it’s almost legendary NO actually it IS legendary. The perils of the grade on Olde Stage Road plus being a Hy-vee 5150 US Champion qualifying race, make for one really AWESOME event!

EEEeekk! Seriously, enough to put the fear of God into me! Frankly, I’d be really pretty pissed off at myself if I had to walk it and even more so if I toppled over going 0.5 miles per hour! There was NO WAY I was going to ride Olde Stage for the very first time on race day. One of the many benefits of living in the Denver metro area was the proximity to the Mecca of triathlon…BOULDER.

Being a qualifier race for Hy-vee 5150 US Championship, which has the largest prize purse of any triathlon, even more than Kona, which is odd IMHO, gave the race even more cache.

To test my mettle on Olde Stage my coach and I rode the bike course of The Peak directly after finishing Boulder Sprint. Figuring, if I could do a decent job of riding The Peak on tired legs, I should be in pretty good shape to have a good ride fresh from the swim on race day. Was it tough? OH Yes! Was my HR maxed at the top of Olde Stage? You betcha! Was the ride doable? Absolutely! Riding the course a couple of additional times before race day also helped.

The Peak draws a blend of age groupers and top-tier pros such as TO (Tim O’Donnell), who by the way is even hotter in real life, all competing in this pretty awesome Olympic distance triathlon right here in Boulder, Colorado! As an added bonus to racing at The Peak, I got the opportunity to watch some talented pros AND secure a photo opp with Ironman world champ (and TO’s finance) Mirinda “Rinny” Carfrae.

Pre-race bike warm-up at The Peak

The Peak was an awesome race, although I didn’t have a stellar swim or run…my bike was pretty strong. Finishing 9th overall in age group, which was good enough for me to receive a nice little email congratulating me on my performance at The Peak and inviting me to register for the 5150 US Championship, which was on September 1st! How cool! I thought about registering but I held off.

My focus now was on to the Boulder 70.3 which was my “A” race of the season. I was driven to redeem myself after my less than fabulous race at Harvest Moon long-course (i.e., half Ironman distance) in 2012. I’d wait and see how the Boulder half went and then maybe register for Hy-vee.

2013 retrospective…I’m not sure how it actually happened but my 2013 multi-sport season is now in the rear-view mirror. And, when I look back there at what transpired— I’m surprised, a little exhausted and possibly slightly proud of my old self and what my “old” body was able to accomplish.

Cherry Creek Sneak 10 Mile Run with Himee, Lauren, Heather, Nico and Cary. Hot day, hard race and no PR but did convince some nice lady to lend me her ID so I could get into the beer garden. Good grief, I stopped looking less than 21 more than 20 years ago!

Dawn at Grant Ranch, 1st open water swim training of the season

First training ride on my Felt bike “ACE”, with Marla

Colfax Half Marathon with Cole, Heather and Bart. No PR for me but a still a good race with good friends. Why does beer taste so AWESOME after an endurance race?

Beautiful 8 mile run up Green Mountain

Dawn at Grant Ranch last open water swim training of the season

Mostly all happy times, with one BIG sad spot that brought tears to an otherwise fantastic season.

This sadness was related to the loss of my #1 cycling buddy and fellow Masters swimmer Randy Herndon. Randy lost his life in a tragic cycling accident in Boulder in mid-August of this year. He died too soon, but died doing something he LOVED. Randy did not live his life on the sidelines; he lived his life 100% engaged. I will fondly remember him for his crooked smile, quick wit, encouragement, kindness and mental toughness. I’ll certainly miss him but he’ll be in my thoughts and bring a smile to my face and heart as I push forward on my multi-sport journey.

The highlights of my season included 7 multi-sport events. WHAT?! Yep, that’s right 7 multi-sport events between June and September! Sounds a little crazy even to a triathlon addict like ME! Was each training and/or race day rainbows and butterflies? Did I start each training session thinking yippee I get to do VO2 Max this swim workout or rejoice the opportunity to do those long fartlek run sessions…heck NO! But, I think I can honestly say that I remained committed to my plan, followed what my coach set forth. I did not miss a workout, I did not skimp, wimp or otherwise cut any corners. I worked hard.

Now, did I accomplish all my goals? NOPE. I’m still a penguin runner, though thankfully no one actually called me that this year. But, I did hit the BIG goals. So here’s the crib note version of the season’s races:

Yes, sir-ee Ironman 70.3 World Championships…ME and the Who’s Who of triathlon, who’d believe that would ever happen to me, a Sophomore age grouper and penguin runner? World Record set by ME? Baa Haa Haa, NO!!! But, I did feel super fortunate about being there surrounded by the best of the best at the ½ Ironman distance.

IronMan 70.3 World Championship qualifier happy dance!!

So there’s the abbreviated story and I’m sticking to it. Details of races and training to follow.

My triathlon season for 2012 is over but that doesn’t mean that planning for 2013 hasn’t already begun! @CoachCary and I met a few nights ago, chatting over a flight of wine and appetizers about:

What races to consider next year

What areas to strengthen

Duration of and how to allocate my off-season time

“Off-season” doesn’t really mean turn into a coach potato and shovel in French fries by the fist-full. But, it does mean that I won’t have structured training and my workouts are not logged into www.trainingpeaks.com for several weeks. Also, it gives me permission to sleep-in, relax, recover and reflect.

Here are the tentative plans:

Races for 2013

2013 will include a Ironman 70.3 and several Sprint distance events. There are two 70.3 races that are finalists in the selection process:

I hear great things about Vineman, the question is do I want to foot the bill on the travel expenses to an out-of-state event? Also, if I got really crazy (which is known to happen with me and triathlon since I’m a bit obsessed) I suppose I could do both. Hmmm, we’ll see.

As for the Sprints those are still up for grabs. I truly enjoyed the concept of “racing” (yes, which is really subjective) at Outdoor Divas, so including a race or two that I can go all-out would be fun.

Also, an early season Duathlon (biking and running) might be in the cards to get the old body re-familiarized with multi-sport events, adrenaline flowing and heart rate pumping

Areas to Improve

Surprise, surprise, surprise…running is still on my list of things to improve. Yes, running continues to be the weak link in the trifecta of events. I’m planning to look for a running group. As they say, to be a better triathlete you must swim with swimmers, bike with cyclists and run with runners. Enough said on that.

Also, while I’m a reasonably strong swimmer I’m planning to tap into my existing credits with the Swim Labs experts to see if I can improve my technique and resulting efficiency (a/k/a speed) in the water.

New Gear

As I’ve professed before, I am a bit of a gear junkie. I do love my toys, tools, outfits etc. But honestly, my wish list is short this time…albeit expensive!

Momma needs a TT Bike. Guess what!?! The bike is by far the strongest part of my TRI events. Although, I do love my Giant Avail Advanced, it is a road bike vs. TT Bike and I’m am seriously considering making the investment in a true Triathlon bike. I hear that after adjusting to the aero position that my speed could increase 2-3 mph and my legs in theory should be better able to run (see previous comments about Areas to Improve) given the redistribution of muscles used on a TT vs. road bike. I’ve already started to catalog which pros ride which bikes and how they are performing. Of course, I don’t have a bottomless pit of money to spend, nor do I have a bike sponsor so that will constrain my options a bit! Maybe Santa could bring me a nice Blue, Trek, Giant, Cannondale, Cervelo, Orbea, Specialized…with visions of TT-bikes dancing thru my head!

It is now almost a week since I finished Harvest Moon which is a long course triathlon of the same 70.3 mile distance as a half Ironman. I needed a bit of time to pass to let my thoughts coalesce.

Here’s a recap–The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY.

(GOOD) Leading up to the race I followed my plan to a “T”. I was diligent in my training taper, my nutrition, my hydration, my sleep. I did NOT cut ANY corners. (BAD) I was however more than a little nervous and it showed in my less than jovial manner (read bitchy attitude) and churning stomach full of butterflies for a few days prior to race start.

(GOOD) Morning of the race, I followed my typical routine of drinking like a camel and eating my oatmeal, PB&J toast and banana. I arrived at the transition area when it opened at 6:00 a.m. and secured an ideal spot close to bike start and finish. I was pleased that my friend and triathlon mentor @KirkMac was there to give me moral support.

After setting up transition items, (GOOD) Heather and I headed out on a brief bike ride and run to warm up. I then put on my wetsuit and proceeded to complete a short swim, just to get wet and glide through the water. Time seemed to fast forward at that point and before I knew it Wave 1 which included the old women (a/k/a ME), young women and Elites, was in the water with the countdown underway.

Now, swimming is in my roots. I spent much of my early years during the summer and through High School in a pool. Hair that resembled straw as a result of Chlorine was my norm. I swam competitively and was a strong albeit not super fast swimmer and distance races were my strong suit. The swim for this event was a 1.2 mile “wish bone” shaped course. As the horn sounded, I started off using my typical approach of swimming fast for the first 150-200 yards and then getting into a rhythm, I then try to pick up speed a bit on the turn, fall back into a rhythm and then pick up speed again at about the 200 meter to finish point. (GOOD) My swim start was fine, but, I soon realized I was starting to (BAD) swim off-course, inadvertently adding considerable yardage to my efforts. After the turn around point, the wishbone swim course format introduced the feeling of swimming head-on into the oncoming swim waves. Then…after all the yardage I swam in Masters, I got a (BAD) calf cramp in my left leg at about 200 meters from the swim finish; just when I was trying to swim FAST. I thought, “YOU have GOT to be kidding me! After all the time in the pool I’m going to get a frick’n leg cramp?!” SH*T, it hurt too! So there I was trying to stretch out my left leg by flexing my foot and still kick with my right leg while continuing to swim freestyle. Not the ideal, most efficient or fastest way to race a swim. My swim resulted in a time of 38:01 for 1,931 meters.

Running into transition helped me forget my calf issue. I proceeded through the T1 drill of peeling off my wetsuit and putting on my shoes, helmet, sunglasses etc. as quickly as possible. In retrospect my (GOOD) transition times were the only area where I actually beat my target goal time! Hey, ya gotta look for the silver lining somewhere!!

(GOOD) Proceeding onto the bike course went smoothly and the first 25-30 miles of the 56 mile course went fairly easily. But, the Harvest Moon bike course is deceiving. (UGLY) The winds and elevation change at around the half way point and really start to wear you down, reducing your speed to maybe half of what it was on the front of the course. I watched my “Cat-Eye” bike computer average speed slowly reduce as the miles wore on. I knew that I needed to keep a pace of close to 19 mph to hit my goal time. (BAD) The wind and strain made my upper body tight and tired. I was discouraged as I saw that my average speed had fallen below 18 mph. (GOOD) As I rode into T2 I saw my guys #1 and #2 positioned on a hill cheering me on! THAT lifted my spirits…thank you GUYS! Bike leg resulted in a time of 3:16:48 with an average mph of 17.1.

Once in T2 I quickly noticed that the hydration flasks that I’d filled with Infinit liquid nutrition while almost frozen when I arrived at 6:00 a.m. were now (BAD) warm, as in HOT and undrinkable. That was a bummer as it left my hydration belt worthless.

As I started to run my body, shoulders, back and legs were sore and my spirits were a bit low. My run goal had been 2:10:00 which equates to a 10 minute mile. (UGLY) The day was also hotter than expected with temperatures heading up to 90 degrees. An aide station with water and Gatorade was located each mile and every other aid station also offered food such as bananas, Oreos, pretzels, gels etc. I had hoped to run between aid stations and walk through them to allow a short recovery. That lasted until Mile 2. At that point (BAD) my back and legs were starting to become quite painful in a muscle cramp sort of way. I started to introduce more walking and less running. This continued for the next 4 miles with other athletes also walking but many jogging by…with a quick “you’re doing great”. Which while these words were offered with best of intentions, it made me feel a little like I SUCK! They’re running/jogging and I’m walking…frick’n WIMP! Close to the turn around, as this was an out and back course, (GOOD) I came across a man (Michael) that was struggling as I was and I suggested we do a walk/run combo together. Running with someone has an amazing effect on your ability to keep moving forward. What a nice man! Michael and I continued our walk run combo until mile 11 at which point Michael wanted to run the remaining distance. As I jogged a little and walked and ran I could see the finish line in the distance. I had told guy #2 that we should run through the final yards together. So as I approach I could see my (GOOD) personal cheering squad and little guy #2 was there. I yelled (or more likely squeaked) for him to run with me and so (GOOD) guy #2 and I ran the final 100 or so yards at an all out sprint.

That was the highlight of my day! I heard the announcer proclaim that Alison Kane from Centennial, Colorado had completed the Harvest Moon with a “fast finish”. (GOOD) No penguin call-out for me on that finish! Although, in fact, I really did deserve it this time! With a run time of 3:01:21 with a true penguin pace of a 13:51 minute mile.

(BAD) Unlike when I cross the finish at Sprint or Olympic distance TRI, I didn’t feel that elation of finishing. I felt a little…empty, discouraged, annoyed. Where was that endorphin rush, that healthy “high” that I love? Unfortunately, I had left it somewhere out on the 70.3 mile path to the finish line.

(BAD) I told guy #1, “THAT was HORRIBLE” please remind me how much I hated this…don’t let me do this again”. (UGLY) I then got a nasty queasy sorta feeling, something similar to what I vaguely remember from my college party’n days and I had to locate a private spot to address the issue…yes, I did in fact get sick post finish (sorry TMI).

THAT was Sunday afternoon. (GOOD) And, after two beers, half a pizza, going to bed at 7:45 and sleeping 11 hours…by Monday morning, I had already started to forget, (similar to childbirth I guess) the pain and I was surprisingly only minimally sore. (GOOD) By Monday afternoon, I looked. YES, I looked at possible IM 70.3 races for 2013. I am a freak…a triathlon addict, maybe I need an intervention or something?! Truth is, I want to beat my sad little PR for the half Iron distance of 7:00:58.

And so ends my triathlon season for 2012. And, (GOOD) YES! I will be sporting a 70.3 car magnet. Slow, maybe, but a FINISHER never-the-less which is truly AWESOME!